Thursday, February 12, 2015

On Saturday, February 7, 2015, over 200 educators from districts across East County gathered at West Hills High School for 2015 East County TechFest. This event focused on the integration of technology in the classroom.

Alexandra Bockert, a junior at Grossmont Middle College High School, keynoted the event. In her dynamic presentation, Ms. Bockert shared her school experiences with technology and challenged the teachers in the theater to provide a wide array of technology-driven opportunities. She emphasized that students need to be prepared for a digital world and our schools are an essential part in that development. You can watch a recording of the keynote here: http://goo.gl/x7M8OV

The over 30 conference-style sessions included a wide variety of innovative instructional strategies, technology tools, and best practices presented by teachers. Topics included Chromebooks, Google tools, gamification, online research, iPads, digital photography, flipping the classroom, and more. To see a full list of the sessions and the teacher-created resources, visit this link: http://goo.gl/gcuv92

TechFest was organized by members of the Cajon Valley Union School District, Grossmont Union High School District, Lakeside Union School District, and Santee School District.

If you missed TechFest, take a few minutes to watch the incredible keynote by Grossmont Middle College High School student Alexandra Bockert. This junior gave a powerful argument for teachers to use technology in their classes. You can check it out here: http://goo.gl/x7M8OV

Look for the third annual TechFest in February 2016. In the meantime, you can access the resources presented by all of the speakers here: http://goo.gl/gcuv92

Coding = Classroom Money
Back in December, almost 30 teachers around the district took a day of class to participate in the national Hour of Code event. A partnership between Khan Academy, DonorsChoose.org, and Google are taking this idea to the next level. You can earn $1,000 or more for you class by having your students complete an online, self-guided, introductory course.

iVIE Awards: Do your students create videos?
If so, you should consider submitting the best finished products to the county wide iVIE Awards. This program recognizes student videos in a film festival environment. For more information visit the iVIE website: https://ivieawards.sdcoe.net/.